


Heart Shaped Box

by the-eagle-of-masyaf (Dunkelherz)



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Angst, Blood, Character Death, Crying, Drabbles, F/M, Fighting, Gore, Grief/Mourning, Het and Slash, Inspired by Music, Jerusalem, Love, M/M, Male Slash, Rain, Romance, Sexual Content, Sorrow, Tears, Violence, Wounds, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:41:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunkelherz/pseuds/the-eagle-of-masyaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of oneshots inspired by songs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Body Is A Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altair doesn't like to admit it but even he has his limits.

It was raining as it had been these last couple of days. Altair stood alone in an empty street within Jerusalem. His clothes were soaked as he saw the building of the Bureau right in front of him and he slowly dragged himself forwards, his arm bleeding and the blood mixing with the water falling from of the sky.

He groaned in pain when he pulled his body upwards, falling through the rooftop and standing in the middle of the court, his head hanging low between his shoulders, one hand clasped over the wound on his arm where an arrow had hit him. It was quiet despite the noise of raindrops falling, hitting the ground and splashing into every direction like they were dancing.

His gaze was locked onto the entrance in front of him and his feet started to move on their own. He stopped underneath the door's frame, Malik standing behind the counter, his face engulfed by a soft golden glow caused by the candles burning.

Raindrops were running over Altair's face, falling down from the tip of his nose. He stood there, breathing, staring and slowly Malik lifted his head from his work as if he had known he'd been there all the time.

He put the feather aside which he had used to draw a new map, slowly walking around the counter to meet Altair.

He looked at his bleeding arm, then back up to meet the man's intense stare. "Hn", he huffed, clicking his tongue. "It seems it's not true then what the novices say for you are bleeding and therefore can be no god... even you have your limits, Altair, admit them."

Altair slowly shook his head, the grip on his arm increasing, causing a new wave of pain to shake his frame. "There are no limits", he told him in a hoarse, arrogant voice. "It just seems my body's a cage."


	2. Black Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altair fights.

He couldn't tell anymore what hurt the most, his body in pure agony and still, Altair was fighting as he would never surrender. His sword cut through a soldier, blood spilling from his blade and staining his white robes. He ducked, avoiding an arrow which was meant to hit his shoulder. He whirled around in one smooth motion; his body one with his sword, cutting, hitting, killing. It all became a blur, his breath shallow and erratic, his vision red. He lost his balance, one hit to his shoulder, his arm not strong enough anymore to hold the weight of his blade. He fell down onto one knee, the men surrounding him. A sword's blade was pressed against his chin, forcing his head upwards. Altair starred into the eyes of the Templar, taking one deep breath before he grinned. An evil, emotionless grin, showing all his cruelty and he pushed himself off the ground, his hidden blade cutting through the man's throat. He wouldn't surrender. Never.


	3. The Gravel Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grandmaster returns to Masyaf as a message reaches him that Malik has fallen ill.

His horse had been running for days now and he had granted the black stallion only a few hours of rest – Altair knew the animal was dying... He had pushed it to hard and now it didn't matter anymore. He slowly dismounted and pet his neck, murmuring soft whispers into his ear. Apologizing for what he had done but that he had to. Whispering his farewells to send him off into another world, the one separated from that of the living. The stallion collapsed, his breath becoming shallow and finally, after hours of agony, died. Altair hadn't time to look back or to mourn. He walked down the gravel road, Masyaf's towers in sight. His chest was tight and his hands clenched into fists. His eyes were set onto the fortress.

He hadn't slept in days, not since he had departed. As soon as he had read the message nothing could hold him anymore. It was near sunset and the guards told him their greetings, a journeyman running up the hill to announce that the Master had returned. Altair didn't pay them any of his attention as he walked on, on and on over loose gravel and following the small path. It took far too long for him to reach the court of the Assassin's headquarters. When he entered the castle Rauf was standing there, knowing exactly why he had returned, why he had no eyes for anybody else. Maybe Altair should have returned Rauf's silent greeting. Maybe the look in his eyes would have prepared Altair for what he had yet to discover.

Altair went up the stairs, following the empty halls until he stood in front of the man's chambers. Finally he was there and he opened the door not bothering to knock. The room was dark, only a small candle burning on a nearby table and the last light of the dying sun falling through an open window. His eyes were set onto the bed near the wall. Quickly he closed the distance, crouching down next to the man lying there. His eyes roamed over his body, his slightly parted lips and his gaze followed the line of his nose, down his jaw and to his chest...

He grabbed Malik's hand. It was warm.

"Malik", he whispered, his voice hoarse and sounding so much different, "I came..." Altair brought his palm up against his face. It was still warm... still warm. "Why didn't you tell me earlier", Altair whispered into the dark, one single tear rolling over his cheek and loosing itself somewhere between the folds of the Dai's robes.

His world came tumbling down.

Altair's eyes turned from the dead body, looking up and through the window. He thought he saw the shadow of the man he loved walking down the gravel road, waiting for Altair on the other side of the horizon.


	4. The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altair sees the future when the Apple falls to his hands after he defeated Al-Mualim.

There was fire, big towers piercing the sky and Altair thought they would never end, going up and up and burning. People screamed, men and women running for their lives and their was something in the sky, too big to be a bird but it was flying, crashing into the second tower. Explosions shook the ground, ash raining down the earth and then the buildings collapsed, burying thousands underneath them.

He watched in terror as the world was falling apart and instantly knew that it was the future he saw, cruel and terrible. Horror collapsed over his body like a cold wave, leaving him gasping for air as he fought against panic – not his own. No, not his own. Million of people were screaming at once when the towers fell, crying and he felt their pain. His heart was twisting into a tight knot of hot, burning agony and Altair drowned and drowned, his lungs filled with sorrow and his eyes spilling the tears of the innocent.

With a silent gasp he returned, breaking through the surface and hitting reality again. He looked around, his eyes meeting Malik's.

"The end is the beginning", Malik told him and looked at Al-Mualim's body, lying dead in front of him.

"The beginning is the end", whispered Altair and he turned his gaze onto the Apple he hold tight within his hand.


	5. Sunburn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time he meets Maria he has already fallen for the woman without knowing.

When he saw her the first time he hadn't waste a second thought about her – the only thing which had haunt his thoughts like a shadow had been Robert de Sable at that time. But it was long ago. A year at least and Altair almost smiled. A year, really? He thought it had been a lifetime. It certainly felt so.

He hold out his hand for her to take, watching how her dark hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. He wrapped his arm around the woman's waist, pulling her against his body, his nose brushing over the top of her head. Intoxicating. Her scent was intoxicating.

"You know how this is going to end, Altair", she spoke softly, her voice nothing but a breath of air and he closed his eyes, shuddering with desire.

He smiled lazily, closing his eyes. "It's going to end with you on your back", he murmured and she pulled away, knocking the air out of his lungs when her fist hit his stomach.

"Always so arrogant. Someone should teach you a lesson, assassin", she hissed.

He rose both his eyebrows, starring into her eyes. "And who would that be?", he challenged her.

She smiled at him then and dear god, it was enough to send him onto his knees. Her fingers curled around his arm, pulling him back against her body.

Her skin was warm, hot like the sun and he was burning through her when she kissed him.


	6. Maybe Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altair's about to lose his finger.

“Malik?”

“Yes?”

Altair turned onto his side, his hand tugged underneath his chin and the grass tickling the back of his knees were he had rolled up the legs of his trousers during the warm summer night. Malik was lying on his back, arms crossed behind his head as a made-shift cushion and looking up the stars.

“What do you think? Will it hurt a lot?”

Malik sighed, his lids slowly closing and opening again before he starred at Altair from the corner of his eyes. A lazy smile curled around his lips.

“Probably. You will scream like a little girl.”

Altair pouted, turning on his back as well, watching the sky above them. 

To lie with Malik in the long grass underneath the fortress of Masyaf, far away from the small village and the eyes of fellow brothers he felt at peace. The days of hard training forgotten and only the pain in his limbs a reminder of what Al-Mualim had put him through during the day.

“I assure you I won't...”, he murmured softly, lacing all of his ten fingers together. 

It was quiet for a long time, the only sound the crickets and their own steady breathing.

“Malik?”

“Yes?”

Altair slowly set up, his elbows resting on his knees. He offered him a shy smile, his gaze turning back up to the sky.

“Nothing.”

Maybe it would hurt, maybe not. It didn't matter as long as Altair had his friend by his side.


	7. Just Like You Imagined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altair and Malik share a heated night.

Hot, warm lips spread over his skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake behind as they traveled over Altair's chest. Lower and lower they moved, until sharp teeth closed around his hipbone, biting down and leaving red marks. He gasped, his head coming off the mattress as his back arched, numb fingers curling into short hair right above Malik's neck, his grasp as strong as if he were a drowning man, holding on to dear life. His second hand crept slowly to his neglected member, his digits curling around, stroking, pumping, pulling as he felt close to climax. 

He was moaning now, sounding probably like a whore in desperate need – fuck it if it was true. Altair couldn't care less, the spiral of his pleasure going higher and higher, sweat standing on his brow, rolling down in small droplets over his jaw and down his throat, meeting in the small depression of his chest. 

“Malik”, he whispered through clenched teeth, his hand speeding up.

Malik's palm hit Altair's, causing it to fall back against his bed and he whined, whimpered at the sudden loss only to sigh when Malik started to jerk him off.

“Is this how you wanted it to be?”, he whispered into Altair's ear and with a long groan he threw his head back, seeing stars.

For a while he was quiet, his semen spilled over his stomach and Malik's hand. It took him a while before he calmed down, able to form words again. He slowly blinked his eyes open, staring at his lover.

“Just like I imagined.”


	8. Hyper Chondriac Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for "Down The Rabbit Hole And Back Again".

[[X]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4z1-IGIo0)

 

 

* * *

 

“So this is it then?”

 

“It looks like it...”

 

Altair turned his gaze back up at Malik, the wound making it look like as if his face was painted with blood, chest heaving underneath deep unstable breaths. He held his arm in a tight grip, teeth gritted and his eyes were unfocused, nearly empty and Malik could watch how the light which made them appear golden was slowly fading.

 

“This can't be the end of it”, Malik told him though he knew better but he wasn't ready to accept the facts. He'd never been good with that not even back at Masyaf. He jumped forwards when Altair slumped towards the ground, hitting the gravel with his knees as Malik was too slow to catch him.

 

“Why don't you just accept the truth?”, Altair whispered, the grip on his arm easing as his hands softly fell into his lap.

 

“But nothing is true.”

 

“And everything is permitted”, Altair murmured, revealing bloodied teeth as tired eyes found Malik's gaze. “I need to rest”, he added just as an afterthought. “I'm tired.”

 

“You can't sleep yet”, Malik grabbed his chin, forcing Altair to look up at him. His fingers dug painfully into the man's skin, his nails leaving crescent prints behind.

 

“There's no way out of this.”

 

Malik looked at him with disbelieve and then, because he didn't know what else to do as sorrow washed across his body like an angry storm he slapped Altair. “What the hell are you talking about _novice_!”, he snarled at him though Altair didn't seem to hear him, looking over Malik's shoulder into empty space. Then, ever so slowly, he looked back up at him. “It's time to go home”, he whispered and he slumped a little further into himself as if his spine had turned into goo and Malik wrapped his arms around Altair's torso, pulling him up against his body with his lips close to his ear.

 

“Just a little longer”, he told him, the anger gone from his voice, vanished. His shirt became sticky and he felt Altair's blood oozing through the fabric of his shirt. “We go home, but together.”

 

“Together... yes”, Altair murmured and it got too difficult for him to hold his head up any longer, his brow meeting Malik's shoulder.

 

Malik heard another shot, head snapping into the direction where it came from. “Get on your feet”, he ordered Altair in a soft hiss. “I can't carry you.” He turned back around and watched the high walls surrounding them, trying to find anything he could grab so they could maybe climb out of this but... His gaze returned to Altair's wounded arm.

 

“I can see it Malik.”

 

“What?”

 

“The Chalice.”

 

“What? Where?” Malik looked further up into the dark sky but all he saw were stars.

 

“It's right here”, Altair murmured and his voice sounded sleepy as if he wasn't really talking to Malik but himself.

 

Malik pushed the man a little from his body, Altair's head rolling back and he saw he had his eyes closed. “Altair”, he said his name, the letters rolling softly from his tongue and fading into a thin whisper. He pressed his lips tightly together as no reply came, his hand reaching for Altair's face and smearing some blood over his cheek as he cupped his face. “We're going home Altair”, he told him in a soft whisper although he knew all too well there wasn't a home they could return to. “I promise.”


End file.
